‘My friend -‘
‘You used me!’ Robin hissed, trying to pull away.
‘Robin, you must listen to me.’ Grishanov wouldn’t let go. ‘I love my country, Robin, as you love yours. I have sworn an oath to defend her. I have never lied to you about that, and now it is time for you to learn other things.’ Robin had to understand. Kolya had to make it clear to Zacharias, as Robin had made so many things clear to Kolya.
‘Like what?’
‘Robin, you are a dead man. The Vietnamese have reported you dead to your country. You will never be allowed to return home. That is why you are not in the prison- Hoa Lo, the Hilton, your people call it, yes?’ It seared Kolya’s soul when Robin looked at him, the accusation there was almost more than he could bear. When be spoke again, his voice was the one doing the pleading.
‘What you are thinking is wrong. I have begged my superiors to let me save your life. I swear this on the lives of my children: I will not let you die. You cannot go back to America. I will make for you a new home. You will be able to fly again, Robin! You will have a new life. I can do no more than that. If I could restore you to your Ellen and your children, I would do it. I am not a monster, Robin, I am a man, like you. I have a country, like you. I have a family, like you. In the name of your God, man, put yourself in my place. What would you have done in my place? What would you feel in my place?’ There was no reply beyond a sob of shame and despair.
‘Would you have me let them torture you? I can do that. Six men in this camp have died, did you know that? Six men died before I came here. I put a stop to it! Only one has died since my arrival – only one, and I wept for him, Robin, did you know that! I would gladly kill Major Vinh, the little fascist. I have saved you! I’ve done everything in my power, and I have begged for more. I give you my own food, Robin, things that my Marina sends to me!’
‘And I’ve told you how to kill American pilots – ‘
‘Only if they attack my country can I hurt them. Only if they try to kill my people, Robin! Only then! Do you wish them to kill my family?’
‘It’s not like that!’
‘Yes, it is. Don’t you see? This is not a game, Robin. We are in the business of death, you and I, and to save lives one must also take them;’
Perhaps he’d see it in time, Grishanov hoped. He was a bright man, a rational man. Once he had time to examine the facts, he would see that life was better than death, and perhaps they could again be friends. For the moment, Kolya told himself, I have saved the man’s life. Even if the American curses me for that, he will have to breathe air to speak his curse. Colonel Grishanov would bear that burden with pride. He’d gotten his information and saved a life in the process, as was entirely proper for an air-defense pilot of PVO Strany who’d sworn his life’s real oath as a frightened and disoriented boy on his way from Moscow to Gorkiy.
The Russian came out of the prison block in time for dinner, Kelly saw. He had a notebook in his hands, doubtless full of the information he’d sweated out of the prisoners.
‘We’re going to get your sorry red ass,’ Kelly whispered to himself. ‘They’re gonna put three willie-petes through that window, pal, and cook you up for dinner – along with all your fucking notes. Yeah.’
He could feel it now. It was, again, the private pleasure of knowing what would be, the godlike satisfaction of seeing the future. He took a sip from his canteen. He couldn’t afford to dehydrate. Patience came hard now. Within his sight was a building with twenty lonely, frightened, and badly hurt Americans, and though he’d never met any of them, and though he only knew one by name, his was a worthy quest. For the rest, he tried to find the Latin from his high school: Morituri ??? cognant, perhaps. Those who are about to die – just don’t know. Which was just fine with Kelly.
‘Homicide.’
‘Hi, I’m trying to get Lieutenant Frank Allen.’
‘You got him,’ Allen replied. He’d been at his desk just five minutes this Monday morning. ‘Who’s this?’
‘Sergeant Pete Meyer, Pittsburgh,’ the voice replied. ‘Captain Dooley referred me to you, sir.’
‘I haven’t talked to Mike in a while. Is he still a Pirates fan?’
‘Every night, Lieutenant. I try to catch some of the games myself.’
‘You want a line on the Series, Sarge?’ Allen asked with a grin. Cop fellowship.
‘Bucs in five. Roberto’s real tough this year.’ Clemente was having a career year.
‘Oh, yeah? Well, so are Brooks and Frank.’ The Robinsons weren’t doing so badly either. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘Lieutenant, I have some information for you. Two homicides, both victims female, in their late teens, early twenties.’
‘Back up, please.’ Allen got a clean sheet of paper. ‘Who’s your source?’
‘I can’t reveal that yet. It’s privileged. I’m working on changing that, but it might take a while. Can I go on?’
‘Very well. Names of victims?’
‘The recent one was named Pamela Madden – very recent, only a few weeks ago.’
Lieutenant Allen’s eyes went wide. ‘Jesus – the fountain murder. And the other one?’
‘Her name was Helen, sometime last fall. Both murders were ugly, Lieutenant, torture and sexual abuse.’
Allen hunched forward with the phone very close to his ear. ‘You telling me you have a witness to both killings?’
‘That is correct, sir, I believe we do. I got two likely perps for you, too. Two white males, one named Billy and the other named Rick. No descriptions, but I can work on that, too.’
‘Okay, they’re not my cases. It’s being handled downtown – Lieutenant Ryan and Sergeant Douglas. I know both names – both victims, I mean. These are high-profile cases, Sarge. How solid is your information?’
‘I believe it to be very solid. I have one possible indicator for you. Victim number two, Pamela Madden – her hair was brushed out after she was killed.’
In every major criminal case, several important pieces of evidence were always left out of press accounts in order to screen out the usual collection of nuts who called in to confess to something – anything that struck their twisted fancies. This thing with the hair was sufficiently protected that even Lieutenant Allen didn’t know about it.
‘What else do yon have?’
‘The murders were drug-related. Both girls were mules.’
‘Bingo!’ Allen exclaimed quietly. ‘Is your source in jail or what?’
‘I’m pushing the edge here, but – okay, I’ll level with you. My dad’s a preacher. He’s counseling the girl. Lieutenant, this is really off-the-record stuff, okay?’
‘I understand. What do you want me to do?’
‘Could you please forward the info to the investigating officers? They can contact me through the station.’ Sergeant Meyer gave over his number. ‘I’m a watch supervisor here, and I have to roll out now to deliver a lecture at the academy. I’ll be back about four.’
‘Very well, sergeant. I’ll pass that along. Thanks a lot for the input. You’ll be hearing from Em and Tom. Depend on it.’ Jesus, we’d give Pittsburgh the fuckin’ Series to bag these bastards. Allen switched buttons on his phone.
‘Hey, Frank,’ Lieutenant Ryan said. When he set his coffee cup down, it appeared like slow-motion. That stopped when he picked up a pen. ‘Keep talking. I’m writing this down.’
Sergeant Douglas was late this morning because of an accident on 1-83. He came in with his usual coffee and danish to see his boss scribbling furiously.
‘Brushed out the hair? He said that?’ Ryan asked. Douglas leaned across the desk, and the look in Ryan’s eyes was like that of a hunter who just heard the first rustle in the leaves. ‘Okay, what names did he -‘ The detective’s hand balled into a fist. A long breath. ‘Okay, Frank, where is this guy? Thanks. ‘Bye.’
‘Break?’
‘Pittsburgh,’ Ryan said.
‘Huh?’
‘Call from a police sergeant in Pittsburgh, a possible witness in the murders of Pamela Madden and Helen Waters.’
‘No shit?’
‘This is the one who brushed her hair, Tom. And guess what other names came along with it?’
‘Richard Farmer and William Grayson?’
‘Rick and Billy. Close enough? Possible mule for a drug ring. Wait … ‘ Ryan leaned back, staring at the yellowed ceiling. ‘There was a girl there when Farmer was killed – we think there was,’ he corrected himself. ‘It’s the connection, Tom. Pamela Madden, Helen Waters, Farmer, Grayson, they’re all related… and that means -‘